Hello and thank you for visiting AikiWeb, the
world's most active online Aikido community! This site is home to
over 22,000 aikido practitioners from around the world and covers a
wide range of aikido topics including techniques, philosophy, history,
humor, beginner issues, the marketplace, and more.

If you wish to join in the discussions or use the other advanced
features available, you will need to register first. Registration is
absolutely free and takes only a few minutes to complete so sign up today!

.......and that's why soldiers have been shaving their head since the beginning of time. He's also smart to teach them the one technique they can never use on him, or me for that matter. LOL! (i.e. hair grabbing). Baldies rule!

Yep Baldies are badasses. Though I did this at dojo grabbing the collar, still very effective. Sensei was pissed though, apparently it's a dangerous throw.

It's a good entry if the yokomen strike is from high - a shallow angle - I like it. But if they do a more horizontal one, or anything below 45 degrees, it becomes more difficult (as you end op further away from uke) and/or you have to duck more, or just do it differently ... like by meeting the strike early and deflecting its power outwards (my favourite).

It's a good entry if the yokomen strike is from high - a shallow angle - I like it. But if they do a more horizontal one, or anything below 45 degrees, it becomes more difficult (as you end op further away from uke) and/or you have to duck more, or just do it differently ... like by meeting the strike early and deflecting its power outwards (my favourite).

We have two types of yokomen attacks. Our standard (and most common) yokomen comes in flat and from the side just as a hook or round house punch comes in. Our secondary yokomen is called ko yoko and it comes from that 45 degree angle you mention.

Many students who have issues with the flat yokomen stem from not enough motion in the elbow of the deflecting arm. The deflection should be picked up on the inside of the wrist and redirected with the high rotation of the elbow. (Look at about the :22 second mark of that video, you can see uke's yokomen is the flat variety, but no ducking is required.) This feels strange at first but with practice it becomes really natural. Sorry if this seems cryptic, it is much easier to show it / feel it. But its a great deflection, and people love it once they get it.

Hmm cool discussion. Just came back from a vacation seminar with my huge dojo and we did quite a lot of sword work. Sensei explains again that aikido attacks come from sword works, so yokomen = kirigaeshi. So our textbook yokomen strike is exactly 45 degree and run along the diagonal lines of your gi.

So I grabbed a partner with swords and try exterior entry with kirigaeshi. That didn't end so well. Now I actually see the point of an interior entry for yoko.

We've gotten away from the open angle revolving strike. What we call yokomenuchi is more similar to a shomenuchi that has dropped off-angle to slip a block. This is different than a [more] horizontal cut to the neck region.

I think as a critical evaluation of dealing with the attack, "ducking" below the attack is not your best option. Conditionally, a high, horizontal, oblique strike may present the opportunity for that evasive maneuver. Similarly, you can make an evasive outside maneuver against a vertical oblique strike. But ultimately, I think, we train to enter the space and rotate our partner (not rotate around our partner). My ability to slip outside of the space would be the product of gaining the center space and choosing to move outside; the key difference being my partner's inability to track my movement.

Essentially, irrimi. Probably one of the hardest exercises I do incorrectly since starting training. Right up there with tenkan. Er.. irrimi tenkan.

Yes. It can be used against just about any attack. From a punch to a grab to multiple combinations. Done properly, all the deflections can be used against almost all attacks.

If you are further interested, check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuTHn_gIiGo
At about 5:20 you can see ukenageashi used against a punch to the face. At 6:50 you can see it used against a jab. If you are still watching at about the 10:00 mark you can see it used against a kick punch combo. I am sure there are some other ukenagaeshi deflections mixed in there, but these are the ones that just came to me off the top of my head.

be careful though, that aikido folks tend to follow that deflection in too close to do technique like kotegaeshi. that would put you in the range of the other person elbow and shoulder and other things. i know aikido folks don't attack with elbow and shoulder and the like, but other arts have no such compulsion. taking an elbow or shoulder strike up close isn't pleasant. i got hit by an internal guy with a shoulder strike at zero-inch. he sent me flying a couple of feet. felt like i was hit by a truck.

But ultimately, I think, we train to enter the space and rotate our partner (not rotate around our partner). My ability to slip outside of the space would be the product of gaining the center space and choosing to move outside; the key difference being my partner's inability to track my movement.
Essentially, irrimi. Probably one of the hardest exercises I do incorrectly since starting training. Right up there with tenkan. Er.. irrimi tenkan.

To me that first sentence is the key one. I don't want to dance with my partner any more than I want to stand fast and dispute the space with him; I want to claim the center. Not that I am always successful....but I believe this is energetically and martially the purpose of opening move.